Another largely Banks song, this one from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, called The Lamia, is a personal favorite, particularly for the Hackett guitar solo finale that just washes over you again and again. Brilliant.

I often circle back to favorite pieces of his in my all too long commute these days, cranked very loudly - not to be annoying, but to let the music overtake me, and let the rest of the world subside, ebb at this glorious music and pause.

Recently, a generous guest left us a bottle of regular NV Billecart-Salmon at the end of a long night of blind wine tasting. It was grat when we popped the bottle this weekend with others and provided them an eye opening experience. Sharing a shared gift makes it all the more wonderful in my book.

One could hardly claim that Sardegna is an up and coming wine region, but I love touting some of their wines, currently, a dfind from a few years ago continues to not disappoint - Argiolas' Costalomino (Vermentino) - just a great, great every day white that plays so well with so many situations.

Sad but true. You try to do your best to source the best stuff you can that makes the most sense. One could argue eating any meat is basically insane from a cost perspective. That said, I love meat. Pretty much every kind of meat. But I prefer to be as responsible as I can reasonably be. I know what kind of fish is sustainable and I have my favorites there and I try to stay in that wheelhouse, just as an example.
But I am also in tune with real estate, rents, labor costs and my personal desire for things I find great in a civilized dining experience and am willing to pay for it. It may curtail my overall outings, but where there is a will there is a way. I spend money on only a few things, and dining is basically at the top of the list, but still, there is a limit. Besides being overly tired of tasting menus, I find that I more often get what I want when I order what I want so I can really be one with the dish I crave off of the current menu and and can spend time to experience it. It really is the experience of it all that you are paying for, with the food as the core, the anchor, the guiding light of it all. Experimenting with bits and pieces of different things on the plate now on the same fork, to see what the chef was thinking, sparking the epiphany, the revelation, the satisfaction. It can be incredible.
But I digress.

Been sipping Ryemageddon of late and liking their 'messed with' variation for now. It's like trying on a new pair of jeans or an Hawaiian shirst and deciding if you ike it at all, or like it for now, or like it forever. I am in the like it for now zone and trying to decide if I move on and try something else.

We went this weekend on the snowy night and it was a great meal with friends. I'd certainly go back. IMHO, better than Masseria, but they are kind of different things. The apple hazelnut cake was quite good for dessert.

I was here this past summer to meet former office pals, and, while still tasty, it was an annoying experience. Basically, the place is overrun with people because 'hey it's Indian buffet!' that they cannot get enough of. It is mobbed by workers and nearby rich soccer-moms alike. It's so annoying I'd likely not return, at least not during the workweek lunch time slot.